Movement Against Intolerance

RACISM HAUNTS UK MUSLIM BOXER December 9, 2009

Despite being a world champion who earned several titles for his country, British Muslim boxer Amir Khan is still haunted by racism because of his skin color. “I can only say that sometimes skin colour does make a difference,” the 22-year-old WBA light-welterweight champion told the Guardian on Saturday, December 5. “I know for a fact if I were a white English fighter maybe I would have been a superstar in Britain, and the world.” The Bolton-born boxer said he was the target of racists since his first professional defeat to Breidis Prescott, of Colombia, in September last year. “Straight after the Prescott fight, when people said, ‘He’s finished’, there were racial remarks made,” Khan said. “If you go on the message boards and chat forums there are always people who have to get the religious thing in. But the racist slurs never discouraged the Muslim boxer. “It made me stronger, it made me come back stronger and made be a better fighter.” Khan, of Pakistani origins, became the WBA World light-welterweight champion on 18 July 2009, becoming Britain’s third-youngest world champion after Naseem Hamed and Herbie Hide. He was also the former Commonwealth lightweight champion, WBO Inter-Continental lightweight champion, and WBA International lightweight champion. He makes the first defence of his WBA light-welterweight title against Ukrainian Dmitri Salita in Newcastle later Saturday.